| Saturday, September 4th, 2010 | Sky High Valley Ranches Ltd. | Whitehorse, YT 8°C   |
| Saturday, September 4th, 2010 | Sky High Valley Ranches Ltd. | Whitehorse, YT 8°C |
| Dates |
|---|
| June 5, 2010 - September 18, 2010 Departs Saturdays | Rates |
| Can $1,860 + GST/Person Additional: Room in Whitehorse Can $139 + GST add. | Participants |
| Max. 6 participants / Guide |
This adventure tour for the horse lover is one to be remembered! Spend the first few days at Sky High Wilderness Ranch in the beautiful Fish Lake Valley. Stay at our log lodge and ride the mountain ridges overlooking Bonneville Lakes and Fish Lake. Then head out into the wild and follow the historical trails that are used by animals, riders and dog mushers to this day. Stay at our Coal Lake Camp where we have an original trapper cabin. Don't forget your camera - there is plenty of opportunity for wild life viewing as well as landscapes that will take your breath away!
* This week is packed with rugged wilderness adventure on horseback. To make carrying much easier we use pack horses. Be prepared to catch your own lunch of fish from the streams and creeks along the way.
* Experienced Sky High Wilderness Ranch staff will guide you through the pristine wilderness in the coastal mountains of Southern Yukon. On the trail we will spend nights in Trapper cabins and wall tents.
* We do recommend that you arrive the day before your tour. Whether you arrive the day of your tour or days before don't worry we'll take care of you. All clients will be picked up at the airport upon arrival and taken to a hotel or straight to the ranch. Pre and Post nights can be booked for you upon request.
Arrival at the Airport in Whitehorse. You will be picked up by our van and we will make a short tour to show you the town of Whitehorse. Here you also have the chance to do some shopping. Afterwards we drive along the Alaska Highway for a 20 minute drive up fish lake road to the base camp at Sky Wilderness Ranch. You move into your cozy cabin or double room in the main Lodge. You will be shown around as you get a feel for the rich history of Fish Lake. We introduce you to the horses and give you instruction on how to care for and saddle them. Lunch in the main Lodge. Depending on the weather and time of the day we saddle up the horses and go for a short first ride. After taking care of the horses we enjoy a hearty meal. Overnight at Sky High Ranch. (L,D)
We feed the horses and saddle them up at around 11 a. m. Just the slight sound of the horses and nature around us. You get to know your horse and start to form a personal relationship. With every stop, and praise for the horse, they learn to trust you and you to trust them. We will go for an aprox 3 hour ride to Bonneville lakes for lunch to try some hills before we make our excursion Back to Sky High Wilderness Ranch, Overnight at Sky High Ranch. (B,L,D)
Today we get the pack horses loaded up with all our camping gear and food and say good bye to civilization. The trail is going steady up and over mount McIntyre to our working trapper's cabin near Coal lake. This base camp is rich in history and is still used in the winter for camping and trapping. Overnight in Trapper Cabin or set up your tent or sleep by the fire. (B,L,D)
After a hearty breakfast the horses are brought up and prepared for the day - the pack animals can be left to graze for the day. We go up to Coal lake. If people wish we can take a short fishing break ( lake trout and grayling are easily caught here) before heading up to moose flats and weather permitting to the top of double mountain, were we can have lunch while we observe the world far below. We circle a high mountain lake usually seeing moose and caribou. Then we ride the ledges overlooking Coal lake before heading back down to the cabin for another night. Overnight at Trapper cabin (B,L,D)
Horses will be brought up after breakfast and pack horses will be packed for the trail. We will ride down Coal Lake. The wet lands at the south end of Coal Lake are a series of beaver ponds. We will skirt the edges of this and ride along Friday Creek surrounded by alpine tundra. It is edged by grass meadows with lots of wild flowers surrounded by alder and willow, wich will make a sweet smelling fire for cooking meals. Mountain sheep, moose, caribou, and bears are often seen in this area. We will ride down the valley beside Ibex mountain to our wall tent camp.(B,L,D)
For people that can't sleep you can get up early to watch a sunrise which in June is about the same time as the sunset. Again we pack the horses to make the fairly long trip back to Sky High only stopping for lunch, this time going to the west of Fish Lake to complete the full circle. We will unload the horses and brush them down one last time before saying good bye. You are driven back to town to the hotel to enjoy your last night in Whitehorse.
The hotel Van brings you to the airport for your southbound flight or you can join another adventure in the Whitehorse area; canoing, biking or hiking. Or come on back up to Sky High!
| Packing List |
|---|
| Ξ Wind/Rain Jacket |
| Ξ Wind/Rain Pants |
| Ξ Hiking Boots |
| Ξ Wool Socks - 3 pairs |
| Ξ Long Underwear(pants) - 1 pair |
| Ξ Undershirt - 1 pair |
| Ξ Water Bottle |
| Ξ Backpack |
| Ξ Camera |
| Ξ Thermos |
| Ξ Hat |
| Ξ Light Gloves |
| Ξ Headlamp(August & September) |
| Ξ Sunglasses |
| Ξ Indoor Shoes or Slippers |
| Included | Not Included |
|---|---|
| Ξ Transfer from and to Whitehorse | Ξ Alcoholic beverages (we buy jointly before the tour) |
| Ξ Last night accommodation in Whitehorse (1 night double room) | Ξ Sleeping bag Can $35 each item. Payable upon arrival in cash or credit card |
| Ξ Accommodation in cabins (2 nights double room), outpost wall tent camp (1 night group accomodation ) | Ξ Meals in restaurants (dinner day 6, breakfast day 7 and 1) |
| Ξ All meals including non-alcoholic beverages (except dinner day 6, breakfast day 7 and 1 in Whitehorse) | Ξ All expenses of personal nature |
| Ξ Use of camping equipment, horses saddles and tack |
* We strongly advise that you purchase travel/cancellation insurance before traveling.
* The camps have no power or telephone, showers are of basic gravity fed nature and not available in tent camp. Shower and sauna at Lodge.
* We point out, that unforeseeable circumstances such as weather conditions, extreme temperatures or illness of the horses may force us to change this itinerary.
* You will be required to sign a "release of claims and waiver of liability form" prior to the departure of this tour.